


somebody's old friend

by Rosyredlipstick



Series: PJO Holiday Fic [7]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Any and all my aus are set in chicago ok, Anyways, Chicago in the 1960s, Death, F/M, Mention of blood, Murder Mystery AU, Not great relationships, Tension, There's some murder in here, cursing, halloween fic, it's a murder au so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 01:44:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12288582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosyredlipstick/pseuds/Rosyredlipstick
Summary: The night began with wine and dinner, cake and champagne. It began with boring conversation, tense smiles, and eyes that should not have been lingering. A gathering, with known names and too-sweet comments. This was a party of politics, and everyone there knew it. This is where it began.But the night of October 23rd 1969, a date that would later go down in Chicago city history, truly started with a murder. But even before that - ascream.-The PJO Murder Mystery AU





	1. Prologue

_“Every murderer is probably somebody's old friend.”_

_\- Agatha Christie_

* * *

It was five in the morning of the 24th of October, the sky was just beginning to pink, and she was still covered in dried blood.  

Her pupils were wide and dilated but her chin was steady as she angled up her face to meet his gaze. Her body seemed to be going into shock without her permission, and she was choosing to ignore the symptoms instead. In her seat, she was shivering, the action causing her metal cuffs to clang harshly against the table. Chiron vaguely wondered if he should be fetching her a blanket.

Instead, he focused on the still-warm photos that had just been shoved into his hands moments prior to entering the room. He kept his expression clear, and took a moment of nonchalance to flick the building ash off his burning cigarette.

“Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano,” The Chief read off the file, taking a seat in front of the young woman. “You’re the first interview of seven to discuss what happened last night at the di Angelo Manor.” Chiron clicked his tongue, taking another drag of his cigarette. The newspapers had already managed to grab up the story and they were already bloodthirsty for the few facts the officers few called to the scene could figure out.

He eyed the girl critically. “Three murders in one night, and you’re the first to talk.” He cocked his head to the side, “Why is that? What happened last night?”

He set the crime scene photo in front of her, but she hardly winced. They were graphic, even for a seasoned Chief officer such as Chiron himself. She hardly spared them a glance, only meeting Chiron’s heavy gaze with a serious air. She leaned in, and seemed not to notice the metal of her handcuffs clicking against the table at the action, holding her back.

“I know everything that happened that night,” She told him in a hushed voice, her words rushed. “And you’re going to need to listen to me _very_ closely.”

* * *

The night began with wine and dinner, cake and champagne. It began with boring conversation, tense smiles, and eyes that should not have been lingering. A gathering, with known names and too-sweet comments. This was a party of politics, and everyone there knew it. This is where it began.

But the night of October 23rd 1969, a date that would later go down in Chicago city history, truly started with a murder. But before that - a _scream._

_-_

“She’s…dead.” Will stood up with wide eyes, the tips of his fingers glazed with her blood. At his quiet announcement, there was a gasp that sounded all throughout the room. They had all rushed in at Hazel’s horrified scream, and Will had gone to the body - so obviously dead - immediately. His hands were shaking - tips of scarlet thick on his fingers - and his skin was an ashen pale.

“We - we have to call someone,” Hazel breathed out, horror still etched on her face. She stumbled back, leaning into the wallpaper. Her brother was at her side in a second, his arm around her for support.

“The phone line’s out,” Leo was shaking his head, wide-eyed, disbelieving, his gaze glued to carpet that had previously been a soft cream. “And the towncars won’t be back until the morning.”

“There must be something....” Hazel trailed off, unsure, now clenching her brother’s sleeve.

“We’re stuck here until then,” Annabeth’s voice was barely steady as she leaned into Percy’s side, probably what she thought to be subtle. Percy was quiet and still at her side. “We’re stuck here with…her.”

“Her name was Drew,” Piper snapped, but her eyes were not misty. “And she was my _sister.”_

“Now’s no time to fight,” Jason stepped forward, his hands up in a placating manner. “We can’t panic right now.”

“Someone’s _dead,”_ Frank hissed at the other boy, “I think now is the _perfect_ time to panic.”

“Her throat was slit,” Reyna’s heavy gaze flickered over each one of them. “She was killed, and we’re the only ones here.” She bend down low to examine the body, and only cocked her head slightly to the side before meeting the gazes of the others. “She was murdered by someone here.”

This was obvious. One of them had done it. But there were other things not as obvious, not as clear. Such as -

Why was Will Solace in such a rush to touch the body first? Why would he want his prints all over an already obviously dead girl? What was he trying to put there?

Why was Hazel Levesque so faint at the sight of blood, despite working with it at her volunteer job at the hospital? Why would this push her over the edge? And that dark stain on her dark dress - was it really the gravy she claimed to have spilled on herself at dinner?

Why did Nico di Angelo - notoriously dark - seem to be the most composed out of all of them? He had hardly winced at the sight, after all, and why was that? He was had such dark humor, yes, but he hadn’t even winced nor gasped at the sight, almost like he had been expecting it, and why was that, Nico?

Why was Leo Valdez so quick to dismiss a way out - wasn’t he the most capable to fix - or break - the wires of electricity around here? And wasn’t he the only one with a criminal record - two counts of arson - here? And wasn’t Drew provoking the boy during during, saying cruel and mean things that had the boy stomping out of the room, away from the crowd?

Why was Annabeth Chase feeling so off, leaning into another? And didn’t she have a not-so-secret dislike of the other sister, claiming on several occasions that she just wanted the other girl _‘gone’_ after Drew had made one-too-many attempts to steal off Annabeth’s fiancé?

Why was Percy Jackson so uncharacteristically quiet, content to let them fight before him? He had never been a quiet soul before, why was he so suddenly now? Percy, what are you hiding?

Why was Piper McLean so snappish and upset over her dead sister, despite their notoriously terrible relationship? And what about the rumor that Drew was attempting on stealing away Piper’s share of the family fortune and company?

Why was Jason Grace the one to always put on a peacekeeper role, one to always douse himself in a white light? And what was in his coat pocket, weighing it down, like it hadn’t before? And what’s that scratch on your face, Jason? Still bleeding?

Why was Frank Zhang so agitated, despite his usual calm nature? Why was he so eager to pick a fight with the other boy? Did it have anything to do with his recently scrubbed clean hands - so much so, that they were still an angry red?

And why was Reyna Ramirez-Arellano so quick to place the blame on others, on one of them?

It’s a mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooo  
> i posted a drabble of this like, two months ago on tumblr but I wanted to post something for halloween before finals killed me sooo. here's a heeeella short prologue. Chapter 2 will be much longer promise. Four chapters is a loose estimate.  
> There aren't a lot of ships in this fic btw bc, you know, murder.  
> i finally decided who's the murder ANY GUESSES. Any idea for who the other two murders are? I love murder mystery's so much.  
> so sorry i did you do bad baby girl drew ily  
> also im considering a short solangelo vampire au (hahaha sHORT) before the month is over so like, keep an eye out for that.  
> i listened to lana del ray's paradise while writing this so hEAVY VIBES FROM THAT  
> follow me on tumblr for more fic and ocs ramblings rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com


	2. Chapter 2

“Very few of us are what we seem.”

\- Agatha Christie

* * *

Here’s how it happened:

Drew Hayami Tanaka bled out onto the carpet of the di Angelo tea room around 8:40 PM on the night of the annual di Angelo banquet. Her throat was slit, there were no obvious signs of struggle, and the only items on her person were a small compact mirror, a tube of lipstick, and an indecipherable scrap of paper. At the time, there were ten other people in the manor, the help having already gone home. The manor was equipped in high security and, after thorough investigation, it was determined that no one could have broken in that night. Therefore, it had been decided that it must have been one of the ten guests within the manor that night.  

The question, then, was _who._

* * *

_Frank scrubbed at his nails, his breath heavy, his eyes wide, as his dripping, darkened hands tinted the water scarlet. His chest was still heaving from his heavy actions and, as he glanced up in the mirror, he could see sweat on his brow. He bent down to wash his face, willing the redness in his cheeks away._

* * *

There was a long beat of silence after Reyna’s proclamation, only the heaviness of breath, shifting of nerves echoing after it.

“One...of us?” Annabeth’s voice was weak, trained on the wall. Percy, at her side, wrapped his hand around her elbow in comfort, and she did not pull away.

“Someone could have broken in,” Hazel’s voice was unconvincing even to herself, “they could have…”

“The help locked up the manor before they left,” Nico reminded her, edging himself in front of her.  “The security system would have gone off. We would have heard the alarm.”  

She bit her lip, her agreement unvoiced. She opened her mouth to speak up again, perhaps another theory, perhaps not, when someone gasped.

They turned to Piper, her lips parted in surprise, as the other girl pointed across the room. Towards Hazel. 

After a moment, Annabeth understood, taking a slow step forward. 

“Your dress,” Annabeth’s voice was very careful, “what is that on it?”

Hazel blinked in surprise, looking down to the skirt of her dress. Along the bottom lace, the dark fabric was tinted just a shade darker, just enough to be noticeable. A stain, dark and sloppy and spattered ugly across the end.  

Jason, keeping Piper close to his side, considered the stain from his place across the room. “That wasn’t there before dinner. It’s new, hasn’t even fully set it.”

“Almost like it happened within the hour,” Reyna, ever the observant one, added on, keeping her space from the group.

“I didn't do anything!” Hazel was backing up into the wall, her eyes frantic and wide.

“Then why is there _blood_ on your _dress,”_ Annabeth’s words were said through gritted teeth, the words as pointed and sharp as the dirty steak knifes piled in the sink. Behind her, Percy was silent but watching with a grave expression. “And you were the first one here, you were the one who screamed!”

“It wasn’t her,” Nico snarled, his arm coming up to shield his sister. “I saw Piper dragging Drew off after dinner.” Nico’s voice was accusing, his eyes sharp as they sliced to the other girl. “And Hazel was off cleaning this  _gravy_ stain right before, I was helping her.”

“How can we even trust you?” Piper hissed, “Everyone knows what lengths you would go to to protect your sister, di Angelo. Did you think we would forget the Octavian incident?”

His eyes flashed dangerously, and when he spoke, his voice was low and on a tone of darkness. “Careful, McLean,” He told her, making no move. He was too still, in that moment, his words holding too much promise. “Apparently princesses are dropping like flies around here.”

In a moment, Jason was in front of the girl, his teeth bared.

“Was that a _threat?”_

Nico didn’t hesitate to match his biting tone, “If it was, it _wasn’t_ an empty one.”

The tension was rising too quickly, too high for a room full of scared, panicked people and a body cooling on the carpet. Percy, with a quick touch to Annabeth's arm, stepped forward. 

“Everyone, calm down,” Percy instructed, his voice steady. He let his gaze sweep over all of them, “We need to stay calm. We're miles from the city, so unless we’re gonna be able to call for help it seems like we’re going to be here until morning.” His gaze flickered over to Leo, standing still and dark against the wall. “Leo - you said the phone line was down, how did you know?”

There’s gazes rested on the other boy - some angry, some confused, most suspicious - and the curly haired boy swallowed against the attention. For someone usually so talkative, he’d hardly spoken all night.

And wasn’t that suspicious.

Reyna stepped forward, her eyes narrowed. “That’s true. How _did_ you know?”

His hands went up quickly in surrender, “I was going to leave early!” He blurted, “After dessert was served I went to call my driver but the phone had no dial tone. I was going to ask Nico or Hazel about it but…”

“Drew said some awfully nasty things to you during the meal,” Reyna commented, her gaze sweeping over him. “That must have made you pretty angry.”

Piper joined Reyna’s force of suspicious, “You stormed off after dinner,” she scowled, her hands clenched at her sides. “You disappeared for nearly half an hour. Just long enough to…” she refused to look towards the other side of the room, but it was heavily implied.

Leo’s eyes were wide and panicked and, had he not been already, he would have backed up into the wall. “I didn’t do it! I was in the wire room the entire time, trying to fix the phone lines.”

Piper’s eyebrows were perfectly manicured and lifted in disbelief, “And how _convenient_ there’s no one to back that up.”

 _“Enough,”_ Percy’s hard voice interrupted, “now is _not_ the time to start throwing accusations.” Percy frowned, looking over them all before pausing on someone in particular. “Let’s take a breather. Will, why don’t you go get cleaned up?”

Hazel’s previously panicked gaze became one of concern, sliding over to the other boy. He still had Drew’s blood on his hands, now drying tack on his fingertips. “Oh, Will I - I forgot. I can show you to the bathroom -”

“You’re not going anywhere by yourself,” Nico frowned, his hand coming over her shoulder. “I’ll go with you,” he cast a suspicious glance over at the other boy, “keep an eye on you.”

The doctor didn’t seem bothered by the suspicion, only dipping his head in agreement and following the two out of the room.

Left behind, Percy pulled Annabeth closer to his side, his fingers pressing into her hip, and looked to the others. Leo was still against the wall, looking as if a trapped animal, Frank looking pale and faint at the whole situation. Piper, Jason, and Reyna were each looking a bit too crazed, their eyes flickering and fluttering with every odd moment. They all avoided looking to the carpet.

Percy’s gaze was heavy, too heavy. Annabeth was avoiding his eyes. Leo's hands were a nervous mess of clenching fingers, hallow breath. Frank was nearly swaying on his feet. 

Reyna cleared his throat, watching the three disappear through the doorway, and spoke. She was always natural at taking the lead, and had clashed with Drew several times before because of that fact. Seems like she didn't have much competition anymore. “What now? What do we do with...her?”

Piper’s mouth smoothed out into a flat line, but said nothing.

“We can’t just leave her there,” Jason’s voice was soft, a stranger contrast from his previous hard tone. There was a rare remorse in his voice, an odd but noticeable lift to his words.

“What do you propose?” Percy’s voice was a neutral as if it was one of their business deals. Piper looked almost disgusted.

Reyna stepped forward, smoothing her blouse, the perfect picture of composure. “Help me look than, if we’re not going to move her.”

There was a moment of stillness - nervous swallows, flickering gazes - before they did.

* * *

_Drew, flipping her hair, only sneered as she swept across the room. On her way out, possibly carelessly, most likely not, her hip checked Hazel in the side as she gathered up dishes, and Drew ignored the other girl’s startled noise as a splash of gravy darkened her skirt._

_From the side, Nico di Angelo’s eyes grew dark as Drew’s figure disappeared through the doorway, and as he stepped forward to help his sister._

* * *

“This way, Will,” Hazel lead the blond man, Nico trailing behind them, watching carefully.

The boy was silent, quiet, as the siblings lead the way. Silence always bothered Hazel too much.

“This night is…” Hazel’s eyelashes fluttered as she took a much needed breath. “Not what I expected.”

Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes, “Someone _died,_ Hazel. Not someone anyone particularly enjoyed, but someone nonetheless. I don’t think anyone was expecting this.”

There was a beat of stillness, even as they walked together, at his words. Someone had _died_ tonight, in their home, a few rooms over. Hazel took a steadying breath.

She grabbed onto Nico’s sleeve, “Who...who do you…”

Nico was scowling at the wall as they walked, “I don’t know. But I don’t trust any of them.”

Will sighed, nodding in agreement at the other boy’s words. “My father pushed me into coming and....definitely a mistake. I don’t think this was the sort of ‘connection making’ he had in mind.”

Nico looked like he had something to say about that, probably unpleasant knowing the boy, but Hazel cut him off with a frown as they arrived.

Hazel gestured towards the large guest bathroom, “You can get cleaned up here, Will. We’ll wait right outside, if you need a moment. Oh, let me get you some of the stronger soap -” she cut herself off as she turned to the bathroom shelves, her face taking on a turn of confusion. Will have the other boy a puzzled look, who only crossed his arms in answer. After a moment of cut-off silence from the other girl, he stepped forward.

Nico joined her side, giving the shelves a curious look. “What?”

She blinked, “The bleach. It’s opened.”

Nico gave her an impatient shrug, “And? They probably cleaned before the party.” At their conversation, Will turned to the sink, and began washing off his hands. He was no stranger to scratching blood on his hands.

She was shaking her head, her gaze still glued to the open closet. “It’s...they wouldn’t. Not before the party, and risk stinking up the place. And this one…” She trailed off, picking it up. Her hands struggled with the weight of it - it was near full. “I just bought it. I was going to use it for the bath tub after I rinsed my dyes this weekend.”

Will was wrinkling his nose, as he scrubbed at his nails. He paused, inhaling. “It smells like chemicals.”

Nico took a similar breath and gave him a short, hard nod. At that, Will flipped the handle and stepped back, his hands dripping wet.

“It would have had to been used recently,” Hazel’s eyes were wide, “someone here would have had to used it.”  

Nico blinked, “Perhaps someone trying to remove the blood off a surface.” Staring at the sink - white and spotless porcelain - he leaned closer. Nothing - the surface and handles were as bright and clean as ever. Whoever had been here, doing whatever with their bleach, had been thorough.

He crouched down, his eyes running up the glass, and froze.

“There it is,” Nico blinked at the half-moon of rust, a thumb print barely noticeable through the smear. Undoubtedly, a small blotch of dried blood.

Hazel and Will point bend down to stare at the underside of the sink. Will gasped softly, his hand flying to this face.

“They were here,” Will looked vaguely sick by this realization, as if just hitting him the murderer was _here_ , _with_ them - _one_ of them.

“We have to tell the others,” Hazel breathed out, her hand clenching at her brother’s.

After another moment of staring, Nico slowly nodded, his biting anger a rare absence.

They burst back into the room just as the others were settling a dark sheet over the girl, Piper standing off to the side, glaring at the wallpaper. Jason, at her side, seemed to be attempting a sort of comfort she had no interest in accepting, but they all snapped their attention to the doorway as they burst in.

They were having a bit, the run and adrenaline seducing the air from their chests. Annabeth, with her head previously in her hands as she curled up on the couch, looked up in confusion.

Nico froze in his attempt to catch his breath. Frank and Percy were bending over the body, smoothing the sheet over the girl, and in the action, Frank had stretched his arm across the space, putting his entire coat sleeve on display.

Hazel and Will were still lost in their breath, but Nico sobered up nearly immediately. He kept his eyes trained on the other boy’s sleeve for a long moment - just long enough for the silence to become heavy as the others grew impatient.

He finally spoke out, meeting the other boy’s wide, nervous eyes.

“Frank,” Nico’s voice was serious as sin, “is that a bleach stain on your sleeve?”

The other boy would have gone pale if he hadn’t already been so. “I - I….”

“It was you,” Will realized, “It - it had to have been.”

Reyna’s sharp gaze cut to them, and when she spoke, her voice was a demand. “What are you talking about? A bleach stain?”

Hazel was shaking her head, wide-eyed. “In - in the bathroom, someone opened the bleach and used it. And Nico found a smear of blood and - and we thought that meant that whoever opened it must have been trying to cover their tracks.”

“But he wasn’t careful enough,” Nico added on, his voice dark. “Sorry, Frank. But you forget to clean up after yourself.”

“It wasn’t me,” Frank tried to claim, backing up. Leo, against the wall, flew away from the other boy, joining the others beginning to huddle him in. “I swear, it - it wasn’t!”

“Then _why_ did you have blood on your hands?” Nico’s voice was deadly, “why did you need to bleach the evidence away?”

Frank seemed to have nothing to say, as he stuttered and stumbled over his world. “I didn’t - you have no idea -”

“You killed her!” Piper’s voice was a screech, one hand dipping into her side pocket. Deep, deep into her side pocket, before emerging with a small, blacked metal lump. Her hand was shaking as it extended out, pointed directly at the boy. 

A gun.

Immediately, there was an increase of tension. Nico pushed Hazel - and by association, Will - back into the wall, baring his teeth as if that would shield them against a bullet. Jason, at Piper’s side, jumped in surprise, as he realized his own empty pockets, his own gun cradled in the girl's small, shaking hands. 

“You never liked her, you told me that once, and she was always so cruel to you. She must have said something that pushed you over and - and you killed her. You killed my sister,” Piper clenched her teeth, “she was bitch, and cold-hearted, and probably deserved it _but she was my sister.”_ She scowled, a mean look coming over her face. "And no one gets away with that." 

Frank's movements became more frantic, "Piper, I swear, I didn't do it, I didn't -" 

"Shut up," she hissed, "and _stop lying."_

"Piper, I -" 

He was cut off with a gunshot, screaming loud and echoing in the small space. Against his back, Hazel let out a wounded sound into Nico's ear, clenching at her brother and Will in similar fashion. They were all disturbing shades of pale as Frank fell to the antique carpet, coloring it for the second time that night. He gasped, and so did a few of them, once, twice, before choking out and falling silent. 

The silence felt like hours. It felt like days. 

It was, in honest, only maybe a few seconds. 

"What the fuck," Leo was horrified, pressed against the wall. "What the _fuck,_ Piper, oh my gods -" 

Piper let the gun drop the ground, making them all jump back as it hit the plush ground. “It was Frank,” she breathed out, leaning into Jason’s side, shaking. "He was covered in her blood, and he killed her. I couldn't let him -" she seemed to be justifying this to them as much as herself, and her anger that fueled her moments ago had been dismissed with the boy hitting the ground. "I couldn't stay here with him." 

"It was him," Percy's sure voice seemed to convince them a bit more, his steady tone near addicting in their petrified state. "It must have been." 

“But…” Hazel’s eyes were wide, staring down at the body - the new one. Frank's. “But why? Frank was...he was always so…”

“You just don’t know some people.” Percy spoke up, his voice soft as his hand circled Annabeth’s elbow. She was stiff, in a state of shock. 

“Yeah,” Annabeth breathed out, “you don’t.”

* * *

Here’s how it happened:

Frank Manchu Zhang, the first to discover Drew Hayami Tanaka, attempted to resuscitate the girl for several minutes to no success. Knowing how it looked, covered in her blood and heaving for breath, he washed his hands and bleached the sink to cover his tracks. Less than half an hour after discovering the body, he returned to the party, smelling of bleach and with a small splash of discolor on his dark suit jacket. Five minutes after doing so, a scream echoed from the tea room. That is how it happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i literally have a 20 page paper due in twelve hours and I only have 5 pages done. hahaha so here's a new chapter.  
> whoooops sorry frank. :( tell drew i said whats up.  
> i want to have this story finished by halloween, so new chapter next week! any guesses? ;)  
> quite an overreaction pipes. perhaps....that's.....for a reason??? who knoooows. and leo - gods - you're being so quiet, arent you??  
> time to go half ass this paper send HELP  
> also i changed it to 3 chapters but hONESTLY i have no idea. rough estimation???  
> follow me on tumblr for 2 am prompts and rambles about my ocs rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

“Everyone is a potential murderer - in everyone there arises from time to time the _wish_ to kill - though not the _will_ to kill.”

― Agatha Christie

* * *

_Two Months Earlier_

“What...is this?” Piper held the paper away from herself, her eyes wide. 

“It’s a petition I had drawn up by my lawyer,” Drew explained easily, examining her fresh manicure. “I’m fighting for your share of the company.”

Piper’s mouth fell open into a perfect _o._ “What?” Her voice was several octaves higher than usual. “Why?”

Drew’s perfect nails dug into the leather of the couch, half-moons ripping into the material. “You don’t _deserve_ it,” Drew bit out, “You show up, what, a year before I inherit everything and expect your own share? I’ve run this company since I was in my teens and I worked for it all, not just some measly half.” She scowled. “Aphrodite’s Cosmetics is my life. You don’t deserve even a _sliver_ of it.”

“I’m her _daughter,_ ” Piper stood from the couch, letting the stack of papers fall to the ground. “She won’t let you do it.”

Drew’s expression cleared up in a second. “We’ll see,” she flipped her hair, giving the other girl a small smile. “But dear, you’ve only been around a year. Maybe you should face the fact that mother loves me - the daughter she raised, the daughter loyal to _only_ her - a tad bit more.” A sneer came over Drew’s face, dirtying up her innocent features. “Go back to Hollywood McLean, and _stay_ there.”

* * *

_Now_

“We need to _do_ something,” Hazel’s hands were a knot in front of her, shaking.  

Piper was still on edge, “We’re safe,” she was claiming, leaning into Jason’s side for support. “The murderer - he’s done, he’s taken care of.”

“You killed him,” Leo’s voice was weak as he stared down at the body. “You….he’s dead.”

“I had to,” Piper’s voice was strong, despite her exterior. “Who knows if he would have stopped at Drew?”

Annabeth was nodding, a bit numbly. “Piper did what needed to be done.” She was blinking rapidly, “He was dangerous - _Frank_ was dangerous.”

She said this despite the other man being quite known for his gentle posture, his submissive attitude.

“We have to call someone,” Will was shaking his head, keeping his distance from the other man’s body. “This is - we need _help_.”

“Leo,” Jason’s gaze cut towards him, “you tried calling your driver earlier - there was no dial tone?”

The shop speak seemed to bring the other man back, just a bit. “Yeah,” he was shaking his head like he was attempting to clear it. “It was plugged in, just no connection.”

“I made a call to my office earlier, before dinner.” Annabeth added on, Percy a shadowed presence at her side. “It was working then.”

“The lines may have been cut, then.” Leo sighed, “I’ll have to go out and check.”

“I’ll go with you,” Reyna added, sweeping a critical eye over the jumpiness of the others, the frantic suspicious in their eyes. She needed a breath from the desperate energy of the room. Her gaze drifted towards the center of the room, where Frank laid. He was almost certainly still warm, though not bleeding anymore.

She needed a breath from that, too.

Leo looked a bit nervous at that, but agreed. He probably wasn’t too sure about her, but going off alone would be worst still.

Nico gave them quick directions on where to look - the heavy rain that hit them earlier in the afternoon had thankfully ceased during dinner - before they were off, bundled up in heavy coats and thick gloves.

She and Leo were silent with each other as they walked, something she didn’t mind at all. Quite strange from the other boy, considering how loud and obnoxious he usually managed to be. Quite strange, honestly. Something to make note of.

Leo examined the wires, frowning, as Reyna held the heavy flashlight in place. No obvious obstruction at the source, even she could observe, forcing them deeper into the woods.

It had most likely been the terrible weather of the afternoon - the line at her father’s house was knocked out nearly constantly with a bad wind. Even the elite di Angelo's must suffer a similar problem once in awhile.

Leo was inching closer to the wires twisting out into the darkened woods, cursing under his breath as the soles of his shoes pressed deeper into the sticky mud. Reyna - sinking inch by inch from the thin stiletto from her heel - felt no sympathy.

The other man, in the process of leaning forward to examine a wire further, suddenly froze, his muttered cursing choking off. Reyna followed his frozen gaze, and reacted nearly identically.

“Is that…” Leo’s hand came out to his mouth, blocking back a moment of nausea. “That’s the…”

“The murder weapon,” Reyna breathed out, crouching forward, her flashlight glinting on the silver. “Drew’s murder weapon. It has to be.”   

Leo cursed under his breath, already backing up. He was muttering fanatic words lowly, his hands coming up to cup his forehead.

Reyna scowled at him from over her shoulder, “Stay calm,” she ordered, bending down a bit lower so she was closer to the darkened object. “And give me your handkerchief.”

* * *

Here’s how it happened:

The dinner was steak, oysters, wild-rice pancakes, and a truly copious amount of alcohol.

They were already on their seventh bottle of wine for the table, and they were only half way through the entree. Di Angelo had simply thrown etiquette out the window, and positioned several more bottles are the end of the table. No one seemed to mind the breach of behavior.

“Oh, Piper - I picked up one of Aphrodite’s lipsticks at the shop last week and I have to tell you, I absolutely adore it.” Annabeth smiled charmingly, her fork positioned perfectly like she was posing for a photograph.  “I love the colors, and it comes on so smooth.”  

Drew snickered from her place across the table, interrupting their conversation. “What, is one all you could afford?” She gave the other girl a sympathetic look, “Mummy and I do try to keep the brand more up-scale, you know.”

Piper shot her sister a severe glare, “Enough, Drew.” She shot a fiercely apologetic look towards Annabeth, now a rough color. “I’m sure the color looks wonderful on you, Annabeth. Did you pick a purple or red base? Either would look _great_ on you.”  

Drew, becoming quickly bored with the overly pleasant, bland conversation overtaking that side of the table, turned to her side. A vicious glint grew in her eye.

“Now Leo,” Drew gave him a playful pout that was anything but. “Don’t you feel a little out of place here, doll? Wouldn’t you feel better back in the kitchens?”

Leo clenched at his silverware, but kept his expression neutral. “Thank you for the thoughtful consideration Drew, but I’m feeling alright right here.”

The dining room was going quiet at the tense emotion coming off the both of them.

An ugly scowl dripped over Drew’s face, “It’s Lady Drew. I’m sure your mother, even with her lowly kitchen maid's education, taught you that much, yes?”

Leo took a short breath, keeping his eyes glued on his plate. Steak, much too rare for him. The meet was bleeding all over his plate. “Yes, Lady Drew. She did.”

“She what?” Drew’s voice was high in innocence.

Leo forced his clenched hands into his lap before they bent at the silverware. “She taught me now to speak, Lady Hazel.”

“Mm,” Drew hummed, considering. “Couldn’t do anything to wipe that thick accent though, could she?”

That was _it._

Leo stood, his chair scraping against the hardwood, and threw his napkin to the plate. He was probably breaking a hundred and a half etiquette rules at the moment, as he stormed away from the table and resisted the urge to flip off Drew’s too-smug face, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

At the table, the stark white linen of the napkin began to soak into the blood of the meat, splashed across the plate.

* * *

They both rushed back into the , heaving for breath, and barely had a moment before the others were on them.

“Did you guys get it working?” Hazel jumped up, looking a bit confused at the sight of them. “Why are you both covered in mud?”

“It rained earlier,” Reyna ignored her first question, looking around to the group congregated in the room. With both bodies covered in sheets in the tea room, they had moved into the dining room, still littered with dishes from dinner.

Will blinked at her statement, “Yes it did,” he allowed her, an obvious question in his voice. They were all waiting for her to continue.

Carefully, Reyna revealed her hand and laid out the object carefully on the table. The silver letter opener - deadly sharp, it’s point glinting even in the soft evening lighting - was covered in a fainted, flakey rust color - blood.

“Leo and I found this when we went to look at the phone lines in the woods,” she paused, her eyes carefully flickering over each of them. “We think it’s what was used to kill Drew. It - it had to be.”

Nico look a careful step towards them, examining the piece with a critical eye. “It’s one of our letter openers,” His eyes darted to the corner, “It’s...from that desk. It’s the one we keep in the tea room. Where did you find it, in the woods?”

“It was under some leaves, in the mud.” Leo frowned down at his shoes - they were his best, hardly worn, but now ruined from the elements. Both he and Reyna has tracked thick footsteps into the carpet.

“Oh, your shoes are a mess -” Hazel cut herself off. “Wait, does that mean the person who did this - they were outside?”

Jason was nodding along, “They had to be.”  

“Wait -” Will stepped out of the foot for a brief minute, the rest of the uneasy as they stared down the sharp, dirtied blade before them - and returned with wide eyes. His chest was nearly seizing.

“Frank’s shoes aren’t muddy,” Will told them with a trace of horror, “if he didn’t hide the weapon…”

Hazel’s hand came up to cover her mouth, “That means he _didn’t do it.”_

“He could have wiped off his shoes, when he was using the bleach,” Percy pointed out, his hands up in a placating manner, “Or just thrown the weapon in woods at a distance.”

Reyna was shaking her head, her eyes flickering in thought. “His shoes were dirty, just not coated in mud - if he cleaned them they would have been spotless.” She gestured to her own heels, nearly wrecked with stain. “And the letter opener was covered in leaves and dirt - the wind wouldn’t have done that in only a few hours.”

“So Drew’s murderer is still free,” Nico made his observation in a nonchalant voice, “The only one we know for sure is a murderer is _Piper.”_

“How _dare_ you -”

“It’s true,” he cut her off, snarling. “You _murdered_ Frank, Piper.”

“I was protecting -”

“Enough,” Reyna cursed, “Piper killed Frank. But which of you killed Drew, who started all this?”

“‘Which of you,’” Jason quoted from the other girl, “Why are you trying so hard to blame everyone else, Reyna?” Jason’s eyes were dark as he stepped forward, toe-to-toe with the other girl. “Since we found Drew you’ve been throwing accusations - why _is_ that?”

Reyna bared her teeth, “Because _I didn’t do it.”_

“And how are we supposed to know this?” Jason questioned, narrowing his eyes. “You’re the newest one to this little group, what do we even _know_ about you? Except for the fact that you’re nearly _desperate_ to blame someone for this.”

“Accusing someone and shooting them in the _goddamn_ chest are completely different things,” She bit out, turning on the girl at Jason’s side, “And why the _hell_ did you bring a gun to a _dinner party?”_

“I’m a security guard,” Jason scowled, “It’s for my _job.”_

From the side, Nico scoffed. “Great job you’re doing then.” Nico cocked an eyebrow, a dangerous look on his face. “Or was the security detail for only _one_ of the infamous Aphrodite daughters?”

Hazel elbowed her brother roughly, raising her hands in a placating manner at Jason’s stormy expression. “That’s enough, both of you. We can’t turn on each other, we -” her eyes darted towards the doorway, in the direction of the tea room. “We know what happens when we do that.”

“How can we _not_ turn on each other?” Leo made a gesture of desperate. “One of us is a _murderer.”_

“We just need to stay calm,” Percy stepped forward, always the picture of composure. “We just need to sit down and work this all -”

“Where were you when it happened?” Jason growled, interrupting him. “I was with Piper, and I had just gotten done speaking to Annabeth - she wouldn’t have had time to run off and kill someone in the few minutes after. But you -” Jason shoulders went tense, “you were by yourself that entire time. Or... were you?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Percy frowned, crossing his arms. “I was in the parlor the entire time - Annabeth saw me.”

Piper scoffed, brushing hair out of her own face. She looked so much like Drew at times, it gave the room chills. “Yes, because your fiance would _never_ lie for you.”

“What about you?” Annabeth demanded, stepping towards the other girl. “You _hated_ Drew. And while Jason and I were talking business - you went off for quite a long time.”

“To powder my _nose_ -”

“Suspicious, considering your make up was quite a mess when you rushed in at Hazel’s scream,” Reyna observed, “I remember noticing - your lipstick was a mess.”

The other girl let out a frustrated noise, shoving a hand through her hair. “We ran off into a corner like teenagers! That’s where we were - Leo caught us!”

The boy in question shrugged, “I did - right before Hazel screamed. I was looking for the kitchen phone.”

“Well,” Piper started, “it looks like the only one unaccounted for is _you_ , Reyna.”

“I was in the library,” she frowned, “I had the help unlock it before they left for the night.”

There was a long, long moment of tense silence. Each of their excuses and alibis were out in the open, hardly any of them solid.

“Fuck this,” Nico finally announced, moving to the coat rack in the corner. He shoved his arms through it, pulling off another and holding it out to his sister.

Hazel, without much question other then a quick look of confusion, took the coat and started buttoning it up.

“What are you doing?” Jason stepped forward. An aggressive look took over Nico’s face.

“The murderer’s still on the loose,” Nico growled, taking his sister’s hand. “Fight to the death for all I care, I’m _not_ staying here.”

Reyna cross her arms, “And where do you think you’re going?”

Nico threw his free hand into the air, “Anywhere but this murder fest! Listen, the only people I know for sure didn’t do this are me, my sister - who I was helping gather dirty dishes - and Will, who was in the dining room filling out paperwork.” Nico’s fierce glare cut towards the other boy. “Hazel and I are leaving. We’ll walk if we have to. Are you coming?”

Will stood slowly, his gaze flickering between the few of them half-circled around him, all of them staring at him. “I’ll - I'll come.”

Nico threw the other boy a coat, probably one of di Angelo’s own, and started leading his chosen companions out of the room.

He paused in the doorway, looking back. “We’re going to the police.” He told those left in the room, “So if you did this?” A dark look crossed his face. “Good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOO  
> thanksgiving break hmu  
> 2 murders down, one to go. any suspects???? let me hear your conspiracy theories senpai  
> alright so this is kind of a mess but i really wanted to update it and the next chapter is 87% done and i had to get some plot out of the way  
> also if you're noticing a certain character is too quiet or too ooc it's mostly because i picked a cast of waaay too many main characters to attempt to juggle and sometimes i legit forget characters are there whoops  
> alright!!!!! tell me, who killed drew!!!!  
> follow me on tumblr at rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com for 2 am rants and fic with my ocs  
> also!!! im helping run one of the percy jackson secret santa gift exchanges this year - we're accepting sign ups till Nov 20th and it's a ton of fun to exchange content and make friends in the fandom yeet!!!  
> [more info here!](https://pjosecretsanta2k17.tumblr.com/)  
> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> get ready for some scene cuts

_ “‘Everybody always knows something,’ said Adam, ‘even if it's something they don't know they know.’”  _

_ ― Agatha Christie _

* * *

“Drew?”

The dark haired girl barely acknowledged the voice, only the faintest dip of her chin, the slightest of roll to her eyes, as she turned to her name. 

Dinner had just formally finished and few still lingered around the table. The di Angelos, already clearing the table after most of the guests had relocated, the doctor, and a few others were still standing around and thanking the hosts, smiles perfect and polite and blank. After dinner drinks would be starting up soon, presumably in the tea room once the table was cleared. 

“Would you care to step aside with me?” They dipped their head, a tuft of hair falling over their eyes. Gods, Drew hated that. “Just for a moment?” 

It was a challenge carefully disguised as a request. Their company was barely paying them any attention. Perhaps this was what Drew had been waiting for. 

Drew sighed, acting as if the request was a major convenience, and folded her stark white napkin to her plate. She stood, her dress spotless and perfect as always, and followed her sister out of the room. 

Perhaps this was the night where everything went right. 

* * *

It wasn’t. 

For her, at the very least. 

* * *

A half an hour after the di Angelos and Solace had left, and they were still staring at each other in unease. 

Annabeth was under Percy’s arm, curling into his warmth, Piper and Jason in a similar position. Leo was still pacing, as he had been almost since the door slammed behind the di Angelos and Will, and Reyna was a stiff line against the wallpaper, staring upon them all. 

“I’m going into the library,” Reyna was the first to speak up after the long stretch of silence. All eyes went to her. “It’s open, and nothing went on in there.” Her mouth smoothed out in a thin line, her eyes glancing towards the hall, towards the tea room. “I don’t want to leave anymore evidence around here.” 

She peeled herself off the wall, glancing around those around her. They were all standing as well. Good - it was probably good they stuck together. 

“Leo?” She prompted, pausing in the doorway as she noticed him lingering behind. He had stopped pacing, now examining a section of the wall, running his hands down the wallpaper. “Are you coming?” 

Leo didn’t even turn at her voice, “Give me a moment, I -” He cut himself off, waving them off. “I might be able to fix this.” 

“Fix what?” Percy spoke up, his arms crossed, head cocked. 

Leo was hyper fixated on the section of wall, “This lamp - it’s totally wired wrong, it keeps flickering and it’s why it’s so dark in here - it needs to be fixed.” 

Piper gave him an incredulous look, “What - a lamp? Is that what you’re talking about? People have been murdered, Leo and you -” 

Jason cut her off, his voice surprisingly kind. “We’ll give you some time, Leo. Don’t take too much time.” 

They shot him confused looks, Leo only muttering to himself, and went out in the hallway where they paused for explantation. 

“He needs to focus on fixing something,” Jason told them, “it’s like, coping or something. He should join us in a few minutes when he’s done. It’s better for all of us if he handles some of his energy.” 

There was no denying that, at least. 

Reyna nodded, a crisp short action, and lead them to the library, a bit of ways away. She must have just barely heard Hazel’s scream at the end of the night. 

It was a small library, barely of any interest to most of them, although Annabeth had spent a few nights there brainstorming with Hazel on the manor expansion. Reyna had taken a much more fonder interest in their war history collection though, as she’d explained to the siblings earlier in the night in her request to review their materials. 

It was much darker then it had been earlier though, with the natural sunlight streaming in. Now, the night was hiding most of the room, and the few lamps were stubborn in their darkness. 

Reyna frowned at she turned the knobs back and forth, the room still layered with a thin bit of darkness. Only a few of the lights had turned on, leaving the room slightly dim. 

“Let’s light some candles,” Jason frowned, “We can ask Leo to take a look at it, but we shouldn’t be waiting long.” 

The police would be here soon, if Nico kept his word. 

A few of them began pulling out seats, looking to get comfortable for their wait, when Annabeth paused mid-seat. 

“Leo should be done by now.” Annabeth shot a glance around them all, with her statement.   

Piper bit her lip, “We should all stay together, right? Someone should…?” 

There was a beat of silence. The parlor was a bit of ways from the library - there was no way Leo would hear them yelling for him from here. Someone would have to go get him.

Reyna pursed her lips, surveying them distancing from each other. The lights in the library were a bit brighter than the dim lighting of the tea room and parlor, even more so as they added the few candles. 

Reyna threw Annabeth a look, “Will you go?” She kept her eyes firmly on the couple before her. She had been eying them both with suspicion these past few hours. “Go get him? I don’t like having one of us...running around.” 

It was clear what she meant. 

She and Percy shared a quick look before she nodded, stepping forward and out of the room without a word. 

Piper and Jason were still busy at lighting candles, Percy shuffling around the cabinets, Piper messing around with a rouge lighter. Reyna, surveying the room, suddenly paused, as Jason leaned in close to a newly lit candle, his face lighting up. 

From behind her back, she drew a hidden, bundled up kitchen knife she had stashed away in a moment of panic. 

The room was still on the slight side of dim, but that didn’t stop the silver from catching light as she pulled it free _.  _

_ “Jason,”  _ Reyna’s voice clear, concise, and ready to for defense, as everyone else in the room automatically took guard. “Why is there a scratch on your face?” 

* * *

Drew followed her sister in the off, empty, not even bothering to roll her eyes in dismissal before falling to a seat, staring ahead expectantly. “Well?” 

Piper watched her sister for another moment longer - the disinterest Drew held, the arrogance that seemed to come off of her in waves - and clicked her tongue. “I have news for you, dear.” 

Drew looked bored, with good reason - there was hardly ever news that Drew didn’t automatically come to be in possession of. Piper simply smiled, reached for her clutch, and presented her with a small fold of papers. 

Their mother’s red stained signature crossed at the bottom. Drew’s look of boredom vanished. 

“This is all due to you, dear sister.” Piper’s smile was barely that, just a flash of teeth, as she let the papers fall into the other girl’s lap. “You told me to go back to Hollywood, didn’t you?” 

Drew’s mouth was flat, her jaw clenched. She said nothing, only ruffling through the papers. She went still. 

“Well, I did.” Piper said, examining her nails. “And honestly, Mother is just  _ so _ impressed by the number of Hollywood contacts I’ve managed to make in such a short time.” She gave her sister an innocent look, “Did you know my father, for a short time, was involved with Elizabeth Taylor? It completely slipped my mind, but she is still quite fond of me and my name. Mother nearly lost her pearls at that one, I tell you.” 

“What did you do.” Her voice was not a question, a demand of information. 

“You’re not getting my share of the company,” Piper sneered, “you’re not touching it. Mother’s nearly ready to hand over the leadership of the entire branch to me. And you’ll be lucky if I keep you on  _ retainer.”  _

“You can’t do this,” Drew’s words were hissed through clenched teeth, her perfect nails digging half moons into her own palms. “You’ve barely been in the business a few months, you’ll crash and burn the whole thing.” 

Piper’s sneer smoothed out into a small, perfect smile, “Mother seems to disagree.” She stood, brushing off the skirt off her dress, making her way towards the door. 

“I’m going to destroy you,” Drew told her back blankly, “All of you. I will.” 

“Have a cup of tea, dear.” Piper tossed a sympathetic look over her shoulder, Jason now waiting for her in the doorway. “A good cup always helps me wind down. I hear the tea room is open, if you need somewhere private for now.” 

* * *

“Leo?” Annabeth’s arms were crossed across her chest, uneasy, as she peered into the parlor. “Leo, come on, we’re all in the library.” 

Leo was now on his knees, messing with the wires disappearing in the wall, but seemed frozen with the action. Annabeth sighed. 

“Are you done? They sent me to come get you.”  _ They know I’m here _ was unspoken, but clear. 

“I…” Leo trailed off from his place on the carpet. Slowly, he rolled to his feet, and stood. He was blank faced, staring off in the distance. “I think I found something.” 

The boy followed up his statement with silence. Annabeth sighed again. 

“Well, come on.” Annabeth huffed out a breath, her hands clenching at the fine fabric of her own sleeve cuffs. “Nothing good is going to happen with everyone so tense, we shouldn’t be gone long.” She began rushing towards the doorway, inaudible voices now yelling at a distance, pausing only when she didn’t hear the boy follow. She glanced back. 

Leo’s eyes were wide and directed away, instead staring down at a distant patch of carpet. “I...tracked mud in.” 

Annabeth was already giving him an impatient look, “I hardly think the di Angelos will care much, considering. Now let’s go.” 

But that didn’t calm Leo in the slightest, his motions only getting slightly more agitated. “No - Annabeth - you don’t -” he cut himself off, “There was fresh mud in the hall after dinner. I remember seeing it when I was looking around it - it was still wet when Hazel screamed.” 

That had Annabeth pausing in her movements. “What are you saying?” 

“I know who hid the weapon.” Leo was slowly realizing, “I know who _ killed  _ Drew.” 

* * *

_ “Why is your face scratched, Jason?” _ Reyna was now demanding through clenched teeth, her heavy kitchen knife pointed out, now several steps back from them.

Piper and Jason had instantly edged together in defensive, wide eyed at the sudden shift in emotion, staring at the other woman. Percy, in the moments after, shifted to the side beside her, his face clear of any emotion. 

“Drew - she must have done it when you were -” Reyna cut herself off, seemingly thinking out loud. “She must have done it.” 

Jason raised in hands in surrender, attempting to take a step forward to come her. Reyna snapped back out of thought, the point of her blade returning outwards.  

“Was it for Piper?” Reyna tried, her stance strong and even. “What, did Drew make another one of her threats? Was it just _ too much _ this time?” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Piper snarled, lurching forward. Jason’s arm came up to hold her back, keeping her out of the careful distance of Reyna’s knife. 

“I had nothing to do with Drew’s murder,” Jason instead spoke over the tense emotion, his voice a forced even note. 

Reyna bared her teeth, looking like war itself. Her silken sleeve falling off one shoulder, her braid a mess from nervous tugging all night, her dark lipstick a smear of color framing her bared teeth. “Then  _ explain.”  _

* * *

“I know who killed Drew,” Leo repeated, his hands coming up to twist into his curls. “It makes sense - this entire time -” 

“Leo -” Annabeth swallowed, turning slowly from the doorway. She cleared her throat. 

He was still staring at the carpet. 

* * *

“It  _ was  _ Drew,  _ okay?  _ Drew was the one who scratched my face.” Jason’s arms were still spread out in a placating manner, Piper just beyond his elbow. “But it’s not what you think -” 

“Drew?” Reyna gave him a frantic look, “I knew it! You must have - when she was -” 

“It wasn’t me,” Jason’s voice was hard, certain, and just on a edge of danger with Reyna’s blade pointed at him. “I swear. Leo! Leo - he can vouch for me, he saw me just after -” 

Watching them all, Percy stood back, and observed. 

* * *

“Leo,” Annabeth’s voice was a forced hard tone. “You’re speaking nonsense. Stop talking like this and go and catch up with the others, okay? Just - just be quiet, I’ll - I’ll stay here, and wait for the police.”

Leo finally looked up from his gaze upon the carpet, and his eyes were wide and bloodshot and crazed. 

“We -  _ you  _ can’t stay here,” his eyes were crazed, taking a step further into the room, one that Annabeth matched. “You have to come, you -  _ you _ can’t stay.”

Annabeth’s face was neutral and empty. Her voice was hollow, “Leo,  _ leave _ . The di Angelo’s - they must be getting to the station any moment now.  _ Go. _ ” 

“I can’t,” His voice was low, frozen with emotion. “I can’t because...because it was Percy.” Leo’s voice was a frantic realization, his hands dropping to his sides. “It - it all adds up, Annabeth. The mud, _ it’s all there.”  _ He gestured frantically to the carpet of the entrance way, just in sight from their place in the parlor. Just in their edge of sight, almost hidden by shadow, was a very clearly defined mud stain. 

Leo was panting now, his breaths coming in nervous bursts. “It’s a boot print, Annabeth.” He breathed this out like a revelation, his eyes dancing across the room as he thought it out. “The girls - you’re all wearing heels, it couldn’t have been any of you, and Frank’s were clean - I, I  _ checked _ \- Jason’s wearing smooth bottoms, and Nico and Will vouch for each other and - and he’s - Percy’s been  _ so quiet  _ all night -” 

“He didn’t do it,” Annabeth’s voice was blank, “I was with him the entire time. He didn’t do it.” 

Leo’s hands were on her shoulders, his eyes wide. “He  _ did.  _ There must have been a few moments when you were apart and - and I don’t know why, I just know that we need to leave, we need to get out of here and  _ tell  _ someone -”

“It wasn’t him,” Annabeth only restated, her arms falling to her sides. Leo didn’t seem to notice her blank tone of voice, the frozen stillness of her figure. 

“Annabeth,” Leo leaned in, meeting her gaze. “It  _ has  _ to have been. He hid the weapon, and the subtle way he’s been playing us, his quietness - it has to have been him, there’s no other option!” 

There was a moment of perfect stillness. Leo was nearly shaking, a shocking contrast against Annabeth’s hard, still body. 

“You’re right,” Annabeth’s voice was distant, her eyes glassy. “You’re right, Leo. You’re so smart.” 

Leo looked a bit confused with the compliment, but urgent nonetheless. “We have to leave, we can catch up with the others and tell the police together. But we need to go  _ now _ , before they stop arguing.” 

He was already walking backwards, gesturing towards the separate doorway, leading to the hallway and to the main entrance. Where Leo wanted to escape, run away into safety. His movements brought them right in front of the fireplace, still just barely glowing warmth. 

Leo turned, his arm extended back out awaiting her grip, and didn’t even see it as Annabeth reached for the heavy fireplace poker leaning up against the wall. 

He didn’t see it, but he sure as hell felt it. 

He gasped out as he fell to his knees, gripping at the sharp end now sticking out of his chest. 

“You’re so smart, Leo,” Annabeth repeated, falling to her knees with him, Leo’s blood already seeping onto the hardwood. “You’re so smart.” 

* * *

So here’s how it happened: 

“Ms. Chase?” Jason gave her a look of apology, perfectly constructed on his otherwise neutral face. “Got a moment to discuss the renovations for the Grace property?” 

It was impolite to speak of business in such a setting but Annabeth looked relieved for a moment of peace. She didn’t look to her side, to Percy, only pausing in her moment of stance. 

He gave her a single nod, a motion of allowance to step off with another man. She stood, brushing off her skirt, and stepped off already exchanging pleasantries with the blond man. She and Percy exchanged no words. 

They had been so strained as of recent. 

Since Annabeth had opened her firm last year, since the business hadn’t been doing as well as either of them expected, since their very much publically expected engagement - things had been strained, to say the least. 

Percy stood, taking a breath, and enjoyed the rare moment of solitude from the empty room. 

He needed a drink. 

The tea room, he thought, would have the best whiskey for this hour. A needed reprise from the politics of the dinner, and everyone knew that’s where di Angelo kept his best whiskey. 

But, as his luck would have it, the room was not as deserted as he hoped. Instead, Drew had draped herself across the plush cushions of the couch, an expert eye in her movements, her gaze far away. At his entrance, her eyes snapped to him. At her elbow, an untouched cup of tea. 

“Oh,” Drew’s voice was soft, laced with a veil of interest. “Well aren’t you perfect.” 

Percy didn’t entertain the woman’s words, only stepping forward to the cabinet to begin looking over the lined up bottles of whiskey. “Ms. Tanaka. You look well.” 

“And you, my dear, are looking good yourself.” Drew’s voice always took a sickly, sugar tone with men, especially men she couldn’t have. She leaned forward from the couch, the fabric of her dress waterfalling down to the carpet, and watched him with a heavy gaze. “I think you’ll do perfect.” 

Percy let out a small, impatient sigh, returning the bottles to their place and facing the woman. “Is there something I can do for you, Ms. Tanaka?” 

Drew’s face finally cracked free of her impassive expression, a genuinely excited look taking place. It threw Percy off. 

“I believe that actually, Mr. Jackson,” she reached for her small purse, a smile almost on her lips. “I think you can.” 

Percy was stiff now, his shoulders tense. Drew pulled a single square of paper from her purse, her eyes sparkling, and looked up at the man from her perch on the couch. 

“I need you to know something,” she started, her voice almost gentle. “Please, know this is truth.” 

Percy said nothing. 

“I’ll destroy her,” Drew gave him a sinister grin, the paper cradled like gold in her hands. “I can destroy all of you. My sister -” She clenched her jaw but didn’t let that dissipate the bubbly high note in her voice. “McLean can destroy the American branch. Then Mother will realize. I’ll take my people, my inheritance, and run off to Paris to establish  _ Aphrodite’s Cosmetics _ there -” She was nearly laughing, a wild, mad note to it. “How’s that for Hollywood? It all sounds almost like a film!” 

“What are you talking about.” It wasn’t a question - more of a command embedded in steel. At his sides, Percy’s hands were clenched in tight coils. 

“My sister’s taking the company from me,” there was a hint of anger in her eyes, just a faint echo she allowed. “So, my plans have to change. With this - what my people found - I was simply going to have some fun - some blackmail, maybe ruin your reputations a bit - but my sister’s tossed that plan out the window.” She took a slow drink from her tea, as if above it all. “So now I need you to know that I am not here to have fun. I am fully prepared to take both of you down. And -” she pulled a folded piece of paper from her clutch, “I have proof of everything you have been trying to hide.” 

“Proof?” Percy had to resist the urge to snatch the paper from her, “Of what? What are you talking about?” 

“Oh?” She fluttered her eyelashes in innocence she didn’t possess. “You didn’t know?” 

Percy met her gaze head-on, glaring. Finally, she spoke, her voice as airy and teasing as ever. 

“Just a little something I found. To do with little Annie.” Her smile was sickly sweet even as Percy went even more stiff at her name. “You know, Annie just loves her firm so much. Such a pity though - no one wants to hire a female architecture these days. And we both know how desperate Annie is to prove herself. You know, when she got that job at the county office, I thought she was givin’ up.” Drew’s laugh was a ringing, delighted bell. “Should have known - Annie would do  _ anything _ to avoid failing.” 

Percy didn’t understand. “What?” 

Drew simply extended her hand, the paper hanging loosely from her manicured fingers. “Don’t worry, dear,” her voice was reassuring, her smile anything but. “This isn’t my only copy. No need to worry ‘bout dirtyin’ it up.”

Percy nearly ripped the paper from her hands, not understanding at first. He looked over the paper - numbers even he could tell weren’t adding up until - until they were. Somehow. 

“She’s…” Percy’s mind went blank, his nails digging into the paper. 

“Embezzling’s the legal term for it, hun.” Drew inspected her nails, “Just enough to keep her firm afloat, but just enough that I’m sure the local IRS office would just _ love  _ to know.” 

Percy’s breathing went deep, staring down at the rows of numbers. He had never been good with this kind of stuff - this, this was supposed to be Annabeth’s part of the job. 

“What do you want,” Percy’s teeth were clenched just as his fists at his side. The paper crumbled in his fingers, cutting in the skin there. 

She huffed, pulling out a compact mirror to examine her lipstick. “Dear, you shouldn’t play so dumb. You  _ know  _ what I what.” 

Percy was stone-faced and silent, staring her down.

She sighed, still looking into the tiny mirror. “All beauty and no brains, aren’t ya?” She snapped the plastic close, looking up with a sweet smile. “I want  _ you, _ darling.” 

Percy swallowed, his hands now opening and closing at his sides with anxiety. “...Me?” 

Drew sank down in the nearest armchair, her ankles crossing delicately. “Not  _ just _ you. Although I do suppose you’re pretty enough to be a perk. What I want -” she leaned forward, interest sparkling in her dark eyes. “Is that fancy family fortune of yours.” 

He sighed, a short, hot frustrated sound. He ran a hand through his hair, “I can’t -” 

“Oh yes, oh yes.” Drew waved her hand through the air, “You can’t access the family fortune until you’re married off to a suitable bride. Which, sweetheart, is where I come in.” She beamed, “I’ve got the name and reputation - daddy dearest will love me, and he won’t clash nearly as much with my mother as he does with Annie’s. I need your family fortune to start up our European branch and you need me to keep quiet about the truth. The perfect fit, I think.”

“And if I…” Percy cleared his throat, “And if I refuse?”

“If you don’t, I’ll  _ ruin  _ her.” Drew’s voice was no longer was sickly sweet syrup tone. It was hard, mean and cutting like jagged glass. “I will, and I’ll enjoy doing it. Annie Chase, the embezzling criminal.” She took on a look of deep thought, her finger coming up to her chin. “Do you think they’ll send her to Cook County or somewhere a bit farther?”

Percy’s shoulders were a hard, stiff line. Clenched jaw and fists, drumming with confusion, frustration, and…

Anger.

A silver, sparkling letter opener laid across the dark wood of the desk. The colors laid out such a pretty contrast, and Percy just barely dragged his gaze away from the silver to meet Drew’s awaiting gaze. 

“Well, hun?” She extended her hand, “I don’t got all night, you know.” 

A beat of silence, each staring the other down. Drew watched him hungrily, his throat bobbing, his eyes flickering. With every second, she seemed to be leaching the fight out of him. 

Finally, Percy took her hand - small and delicate and soft in his, nothing like the rough calluses that formed on Annabeth’s from days of work - and pulled her close to him. 

She happily slid her body against his, satisfaction coming over her face. She wound her hands around his stiff shoulders, smiling. 

“See? You got a brain. Glad you can see the smart option when it’s in front of you,” her eyes light up for a split second, “Can I be there when you break off the engagement? What am I talking about,  _ of course  _ I’ll be there -” 

Percy clenched his jaw, lifted one hand from Drew’s waist, and reached behind him, spinning her to face away from him. 

Her lipstick was no longer flawless as she stumbled to the ground, clutching at her throat. As she fell, her manicured nails - always so perfect and coordinated - tore jagged lines down Percy’s wrist. After only jerking his hand away, he didn’t react. 

“She hates being called Annie,” Percy’s face was blank as he took a step back, keeping his dark suit clean. “Thought you should know.” 

* * *

Percy swept back into the parlor, the perfect picture of poise, and took a careful seat next to Annabeth’s still form. They were alone, and his heart was nearly jumping out of his chest. He took a slow breath and forced an air of nonchalance. 

He inspected his nails, keeping the cuff of his sleeve at a careful length, and briefly considered if it would still be too impolite to leave the party. Noticeable, if anything, and that was exactly what he was looking for avoid. They would have to wait. They would have to be here, when someone discovered. The tea room wouldn’t be empty for long. 

Annabeth was still at his side, staring at the fireplace. Someone - the help before they left for the night probably - had lit it. The heat warmed her skin, from where Percy careful brushed against her bare arm. She had been sitting alone for a bit. 

She glanced over at him, his straight gaze trained on the wall, and didn’t pause. 

“Percy,” Annabeth’s voice hardly wavered as she spoke, her handkerchief draped over her extended hand. “Wipe your face.”

Percy paused, his eyes flickering over to the other girl. Her hand was out, her eyes focused on the wall. She said nothing, and he didn’t offer any words in return. There was sweat on his brow. He had trailed mud into the front room. 

Slowly, Percy took the napkin and wiped the smear of drying blood off of his chin. Under his sleeve cuff, were three straight scratches extending from his upper wrist to lower arm. 

He handed it back, and without a glance, Annabeth threw the small square of fabric directly into the fireplace. 

In another room, Hazel let out a piercing scream. 

They stood from the couch, and the fire was still raging on. 

Hours later, Annabeth stared at a clump of ashes on the edge of the fireplace, her breath slow and low in her chest. Bent on the ground, rust stains having soaked and long since dried into her stockings, her gaze vacant and focused solely on the smokey pit before her. The fireplace was only just barely smoke and glowing embers at this point, long since gone out. Just barely, a corner of pale fabric fluttered out of the pillow of warm ashes, still captivated in her gaze. 

She was the only one in the room, still and curled forward. In another room, she could hear the commotion and high voices of a fight. Percy’s, she barely recognized. He was yelling in the distance. None of their words were distinct. 

At one point, there was a scream, and in another room, a large bloodstained kitchen knife fell to the carpet.

At one point, the door was kicked down, and officers swarmed into the manor. 

And Annabeth Chase was still staring into the fireplace, focused on one particular patch of ash. Leo Valdez had long since gone cold, only a few feet away, half curled on the antique carpet, half curled on the hardwood floor.  

As she was dragged away by the officers - literally dragged away, her legs limp under her, her head rolling side to side - her gaze was still on that fireplace. 

* * *

“And that’s how it happened.” Reyna’s voice was weak and raspy, her eyes unblinking. An hour into her story, one of the officers came in and draped a blanket over her bare shoulders, and she clenched at it now. 

Chiron clicked the recorder off, rubbing down his fifth cigarette. In front of them, his previous few laid out in an ashen, wrinkled mess in a plastic tray. His notes spread out before him were in an even worst state, scribbled words, crossed out corrections. Writing up his report alone would be hell. 

He dealt with the rest of her statement, strangely close-lipped on what exactly went down in the library during Valdez’s estimated time of death, and it wasn’t long before he was dipping out of the stale interrogation room, already thinking of his next one. 

“McLean’s in the next room,” the waiting cop told him, pushing a steaming styrofoam cup into his hands. “Officer D’s dealing with Chase, she had to be dragged outta the manor but won’t talk to anyone. "The injured on site is still at the hospital, but it looks like he'll live." 

“Grace?” He waited until she shot him a nod, “Jason Grace?” 

She nodded, looking down at the papers in her hands. “Stabbed with a kitchen knife, right before we showed up. He’s gonna be fine, but he’s refusing to talk.” 

Chiron nodded, taking the cup with a mutter of thanks and a sigh, and made a note of that. The officer - some newbie still desperate to prove herself to the chief - dunked away to her pile of paperwork. 

He turned into the next room, shuffling his papers into something resembling a pile, and let the door slam behind him. 

At the noise, Piper McLean’s head snapped up, and she was on her feet in a second. Her hands, handcuffed to the table, hung in front of her. 

“Don’t believe a word any of them said,” she growled, “none of them know what _ really _ happened.” 

Chiron only sighed, tucked his files under his arm, and reached for another cigarette. It was going to be a long night.

Here how’s it happened: 

Drew Hayami Tanaka bled out on the carpet of the di Angelo tea room at approximately 8:40 PM. She was not discovered for 45 minutes, until Hazel Levesque screamed in alarm at 9:15 PM. In the panic afterwards, Frank Manchu Zhang was shot by Piper McLean, using Jason Grace’s stolen gun, after McLean became convinced Zhang was behind the murder of Tanaka, her sister. 

What happened next exists in the official records as a mess of contradicting statements, loose facts, and tampered evidence. What one would swear as fact, another was nearly instantly swearing as lie. 

The only one arrested for the events of October 23rd 1969 was socialite Piper McLean, for the murder of Frank Zhang. This event was one of the very few facts that lined up across nearly all stories. 

But due to the numerous conflicting reports, what else truly happened the night of October 23rd 1969 still remains a mystery to the general public. 

But, with mystery, there are always a few that know more than they let on. 

Especially when it comes to the truth. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that...took awhile to write. ITS DONE WE FOUND OUT WHO DUN IT ARE YOU SURPRISED   
> percy and annabeth would do anything to keep each other safe, after all.   
> im so sorry leo. and annabeth. and drew. AND MY FRANK.  
> im honestly surprised will made it out alive? sunflower escaped with boi and sister go him!!! pretty sure it would have been him if he stayed shrug emoji  
> thanks to rina for looking this over!!!!   
> pls let me know if you liked this i died for it   
> follow me on tumblr at rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com for 2am rants and random drabbles yeet


End file.
